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Today’s Avian Flu Post — Kill The Poor

Substantial chance of worldwide spread. Worse for developing world than developed world, for multiple reasons. Don’t know when a form that is readily transmitted between humans will evolve, but this H5N1 virus has shown that it is capable of that on a limited basis. We also don’t know whether a human-to-human form will have as high a mortality rate. US woefully unprepared, due to years of underfunding our public health infrastructure. Pharma industry not able to pick up the ball in terms of rapid development and mass production of vaccine. US & other govts should subsidize vaccine development, because market incentives are inadequate and liability incentives discourage private industry from this field.

And I just had to elevate the comments our troll left at the previous avian flu post. They so well illustrate the Republican mindset:

Mass hysteria promoted by people who would be the beneficiaries of government funds to fight said viral plague.
[. . .] Anyhow, my suspicion is that this is being used by the left to expand the governments already massive control of the finances of Health care. The virologists and MDs who are arguing for this out of an (unconscious) drive to expand funding I can understand; it is myopic, but understandable. The left using this to force this country to their vision of utopian socialized medicine because of their socialist theology I think is repugnant.

The right is so anti-community (not to mention anti-science…) that they even oppose public health programs. But pandemics (epidemics over a wide area) aren’t Libertarians – they don’t just kill the poor.
Old Dead Kennedys song time:

Efficiency and progress is ours once more
Now that we have the Neutron bomb
It’s nice and quick and clean and gets things done
Away with excess enemy
But no less value to property
No sense in war but perfect sense at home:
The sun beams down on a brand new day
No more welfare tax to pay
Unsightly slums gone up in flashing light
Jobless millions whisked away
At last we have more room to play
All systems go to kill the poor tonight
Gonna
Kill kill kill kill Kill the poor:Tonight
Behold the sparkle of champagne
The crime rate’s gone
Feel free again
O’ life’s a dream with you, Miss Lily White
Jane Fonda on the screen today
Convinced the liberals it’s okay
So let’s get dressed and dance away the night
While they:
Kill kill kill kill Kill the poor:Tonight